Adjustable false bottom



Sept. 29, 1942. TYLER 2,297,115

ADJUSTABLE FALSE BOTTOM Filed Dec. 16, 1940 Ammegg Patented Sept. 29, 1942 ADJUSTABLE FALSE BOTTOM Jerry Tyler, Niles, Mich., assignor to Tyler Fixture Corporation, Niles, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 16, 1940, Serial No. 370,299

7 Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable false bottoms which have their particular field of use in stores in display structures, wherein produce, such as fruits and vegetables, is displayed.

It is good merchandising practice to fill the various compartments of a produce display stand with deep piles of fruits and vegetables on busy days and, on days which are not so busy, to provide shallow piles of the produce by the use of false bottoms in the compartments which will give the appearance of deep piles thereby minimizing the waste of the goods. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a bottom for compartments in produce display structures which is made up of a ,plurality of trays which are capable of being arranged in different combinations so that in one combination a flat bottom will be presented to receive a deep pile of produce and in other com- .binations at least a portion of the bottom will be elevated to receive a more shallow pile of produce and yet give the impression of a deep pile.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of several trays one of which is longer than the others so that the long tray combined with a shorter one will form a flat bottom and a third tray may be combined with the first two to elevate a portion of the bottom.

Another object is the provision of interfitting means in the edges of adjacent trays to prevent slipping and to result in a wedging action between the various trays, so that even in their elevated position they will be capable of supporting a reasonably great weightof produce.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and following description set forth in detail certain means for carrying out my invention, said means constituting, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the Fig. 2 is a. vertical section through a display 55 structure showing one combination of trays in full lines and another combination in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is also a vertical section through a display structure showing three different combinations of trays, two of them being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary vertical section through a compartment showing particularly one form of interfitting means for the adjacent edges of the trays, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section showing a modification of the interfitting means of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it is to be understood that a produce display structure may contain as many bins or compartments as may be desired, but for the purposes of illustration Fig. 1 here shows three such compartments. The structure itself is composed of a front portion I, a back portion 2 and end members 3. It is to be noted that the back 2 is substantially vertical and extends upwardly a considerable distance above the top of the front I which isinclined slightly toward the rear at the bottom thereof. Above the end members 3 and secured between the front and back at spaced apart points throughout the length of the structure there is provided a plurality of partitions 4 to divide the structure into several compartments.

Also extending from front to rear at spaced apart points throughout the length of the structure there is provided a plurality of cleats 5 which provide two supports each for the bottoms of the compartments.

Spaced upwardly from the cleats 5 and located laterally of the back 2 in each compartment a ledge B is located for the purpose of supporting the rear end of one of the trays in any of the various elevated positions.

While it is to be understood that it may be possible to devise a false bottom to serve the same purpose and operate in the same way as the one here described, consisting of a different number of trays than herein disclosed, the specific number and shape herein described is utilized purely for purposes of illustration. More specifically, I provide three trays which are indicated by the numerals 1, 8 and 9. The tray 8 is the longest of the three, the tray 9 is the shortest and the tray 1 is of intermediate length. The combined length of the two trays 1 and 8 will be substantially equal to the depth of the compartment and when these two only are utilized and placed in end to end relation, such as in the first compartment in Fig. 1 and as shown in the full lines in Fig. 3, a flat even bottom will be presented and on busy days in the store all of the compartments will have this type of bottom in them so that a deep pile of produce can be displayed.

These tray members in each compartment rest on the cleats 5, but when it is desired to change the contour of the bottom and elevate a portion of it so that an elevated false bottom may be presented in order that a more shallow pile of produce can be received within the compartment, the third tray ,9 is utilized. For example, referring particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the longest tray 8 will have its rear edge elevated and placed against the forward edge of the smallest tray 9 which has its own rear edge resting upon the ledge '6. The forward or lower edge of the tray 8 will bear against the rearmost edge of the tray 1 thereby providing a wedging action between each of the three trays which will present a false bottom elevated but of a sufficient strength capable of supporting a reasonably great weight of fruits'and vegetables thereon. It will be obvious that a lesser amount of produce can be displayed when any portion of the bottom is elevated in this manner than Whenthe bottom is fiat as shown in Fig. 3.

Before describing particularly the various combinations which these trays are capable of assuming, I refer particularly to Fig. 4 wherein one form of interfitting edge means for the trays is disclosed. In'this form one edge, preferably the rear edge, of each tray has a V-shaped portion indicated at It! cut therefrom longitudinal- 1y, of the edge. Then, the forward edge of one tray will be received in the V edge of the adjacent tray, as shown, in order to provide an interfitting relationship between the various trays to obviate any possibility of slipping.

In Fig. 5 I disclose the modified form which is provided by forming a longitudinal arcuate groove II in the place of the V groove Hi. In this case it is necessary to outwardly round the forward edge of adjacent trays so that it may be received within the arcuate concave edge of the other tray. The position of these slots, whether they 'be V-shaped, arcuate, or any other form, will be the same and will operate to prevent slippage between the various trays when they are in elevated position.

'Referring now to the various combinations which these trays are capable of assuming, the

solid lines in Fig. 2 show one form. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 show a difierent form where the tray-1 has been placed at the top and the tray 9 placed at the bottom. These two trays, by being interchanged in this manner, will move the longest tray 8 forwardly a short distance thereby enabling the particular compartment to receive a still more shallow pile of produce. In Fig. 3 the shorter trays 1 and 9, in the dotted lines, are shown adjacent each other and the longest tray 8 is in rear position with its rear edge resting upon the ledge 6. In one form the tray 1 of intermediate length is located between the trays 8 and 9 and in the other form the shortest tray 9 is located between the other two trays 8 and I. The different shapes of false bottoms will be apparent upon considering these various combinations. It is also to be noted that the front I extends upwardly a sufficient distance beyond the bottom formed by the trays to prevent any of the fruits or vegetables from falling off the forward end.

The trays themselves, through their wedging action, form a rigid construction capable of supporting a large weight of fruits and vegetables without the necessity of building a regular solid table underneath the dummies as is usually done at the present time.

Because of this construction a saving is made not only in the actual material cost of the fixture but also in the freight thereon because of its lighter weight. By utilizing a minimum number of parts, this construction is capable, by the various combinations of the trays making up the false bottom, of accommodating the greatest amount or the smallest amount of produce desired to be displayed on a particular day, as well as substantially any amounts in between the two limitations. The advantages arising from such construction, other than those named above, will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be used instead of the one here described, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed provided, however, that the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim, as my invention:

1. A display device comprising, a compartment having a normal bottom area and a back, a plurality of bottom sections, a part of said plurality of bottom sections having a width sub stantially equal to the front to rear dimension of said normal bottom area and all of said sections having a combined width greater than said front to back dimension, means to support some of said sections in the plane of said bottom area and means adjacent said back and above said bottom area for supporting the rear edge of one of said bottom sections in raised position and an intermediate section interposed between said rear and lower section, and having therewith a combined width greater than the said front to rear dimension, the adjacent edges of said sections having interfitting connecting means.

2. The elements in combination defined in claim 1,, in which one of said bottom sections is supported at its rear edge on said elevated supporting means and another of said bottom sections is supported at its forward edge on said normal bottom supporting means, the respective rear edge of said other section and forward edge of the rear section being interfitting and supporting each other with a wedging action.

3. The elements in combination defined in claim 1, in which one of said bottom sections is supported at its rear edge on said elevated supporting means and the other of said bottom sections is supported at its forward edge on said normal bottom supporting means, the respective rear edge of the said other section and forward edge of the rear section being interfittin'g and supporting each other with a wedging action, the angle formed between said section's being greater than and less than 4. A display device comprising, a compartment having a normal bottom area and a back, three bottom sections, two of which have a combined width substantially equal to the front to rear dimension of said normal bottom area and the combined width of all three sectionsbeing greater than said front to rear dimension, means for supporting certain of said bottom sections in tween said sections, said engaging edges havingthe plane of said normal bottom area, means adjacent the back and elevated above said bottom area for supporting the rear edge of one of said sections in raised position, means for absorbing the forward thrust of one of said bottom sections in the plane of the bottom area with an intermediate section extending diagonally upward between and respectively engaging said other two sections.

5. The elements in combination defined in claim 4, in which one of said sections is in elevated position with its rear edge supported on said elevated support, another of said bottom sections is in the plane of the normal bottom area supported by said bottom supporting means and the third bottom section extends diagonally between the elevated section and the lower section with its respective edges in contact with the rear edge of the lower section and forward edge of the elevated section and in wedging action beinterfitting connecting means.

6. The elements in combination defined in claim 4, in which one of said sections is in elevated position with its rear edge supported on said elevated support, another of said bottom sections is in the plane of the normal bottom area supported by said bottom supporting means and the third bottom section extends diagonally between the elevated section and the lower section with its respective edges in contact with the rear edge of the lower section and forward edge of the elevated section and in wedging action between said sections, said engaging edges having interfitting connecting means, the angles formed between the respective adjacent sections being more than and less than 7. The elements in combination defined in claim 4, in which each of said three sections is of different width.

JERRY TYLER. 

